Lady Corsairs sink 13 3-pointers to rout visiting Cougars

EUREKA -- At first, it didn't look like Redwoods would score many points.

After controlling the opening tip-off, the Lady Corsairs' initial pass resulted in a back-court violation, and then neither CR nor Lassen College scored for four minutes in Saturday's Golden Valley Conference matchup.

But after Corsair Chelsea Roane hit the game's first basket -- a 3-pointer, fittingly -- the home team made its outside shots and played good D, earning a decisive 82-59 win over the Cougars.

Roane finished with a game-high 23 points, including five of the Redwoods' 13 3-pointers.

"We had good ball movement, and we got a lot of steals," said Roane.

Allie Wipf played another solid all-around game for CR, tossing in 21 points -- including a trio of 3-pointers -- and dominating both boards.

Case in point, after Lassen built an early 10-5 lead, Wipf scored nine points -- six resulting from offensive rebounds, three points from a trey -- to spark Redwoods on a 14-0 run.

Later, in the second half, with Wipf on the bench and the Corsairs leading by 33 points (53-20), the Cougars responded with a 15-2 run in three minutes.

Wipf re-entered the game, immediately scored an old-school three-point play (jumper plus free throw), then grabbed an offensive board on CR's next trip downcourt and dished an assist to Roane -- who nailed a trey -- helping Redwoods promptly tack on six more points.

"She's so quick, she's almost sneaky quick," CR head coach Doug Oliveira said about Wipf. "She's able to get boards people don't expect her to get."

Crissy Robbins contributed 12 points -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- for CR, while Kiana Bell also sank two treys and Jade Euan swished a long 3-ball in the first half.

"If teams are going to pack in the zone, you have to hit from the perimeter to open things up," said Oliveira. "And if we're going to shoot from the outside, we have to be able to get to the boards."

Sara Lewis, Melissa Morrison and Kristyn Rook hit the boards and also combined for 17 points.

Lewis hit jumpers on consecutive possessions early in the second half, Morrison added a baseline jumper and a putback, while Rook converted all three free throws after she was hit attempting a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Lassen had its work cut out when it showed up at Treglown Gymnasium.

With only seven players on its roster, and one too ill to make the trip to the coast, only six Cougars suited up for Saturday's game.

If that sounds familiar, you may recall that Redwoods played much of last season with just six players.

"We have been through that situation, and know what it's like to play like that," said Oliveira about Lassen's limited roster.

Haylee Shaffer led Lassen with 17 points, while Lisa Ko and Erica Roberson each contributed 14.

With the win, Redwoods improved to 2-2 in the GVC and 9-10 overall, going into Thursday's home league game against Shasta. The loss dropped Lassen to 0-4 and 3-16.